AOL Journals Ads Infuriate Bloggers

By Exclusive Concepts Blog TeamNovember 23, 2005

AOL has just started selling banner ad space on its blog service, AOL Journals. While other bloggers accepts ads on their pages because it keeps the service free, many AOL Journals users pay for their blog and are outraged by the ads. They think ads disrupt the look of the site and violate the spirit of their entries. They also feel betrayed by AOL for not consulting them or even warning them that the ads were coming. Here are some sample posts in response to the ads:

“Note the Ad at the top… this was put there by AOL without my permission or consent. I am a paying customer… a subscriber… yet there is an Ad on this Journal which contains my personal thoughts, dreams, hopes and desires.” (from The Gift of Life)

‘I ask you AOL, “What makes you think advertisements belong in my journal when the content is my written expression, my creations, and intensely personal extensions of myself?”‘ (from MirrorMirrorontheWall)

“it appears that AO Hell is not going to listen to it’s customers in regards to these atrocious, hideous, and intrusive banner ads.” (from The Return of Kaseypalooza)

“They lost a lot of integrity with me taking advantage of me and others who use a pop up and ad blocking tool to begin with and would have never noticed the ugly banner ads that solicited our readers if it weren’t for others in the AOL community complaining about them!” (from TheWildCatBlog)

“It has been a week since AOL unveiled its dastardly plan to turn Hometown AOL into a big Spamorama. In an effort to keep up with the other generic ISP portals, AOL has sacrificed members services and satisfaction for advertising $$$.” (from DustBunnyClub)